Palestinians and their supporters have faced a very long struggle involving some victories as well as many setbacks. And always truthless speech and duplicitous actions from western governments.

On that long road there is nothing that sustains quite like having friends and knowing that the quest is a just one. The adage "you shall know them by the friends" applies in spades to the Palestinian struggle. If we knew nothing else, just knowing the quality and nature of the people who are Zatoun buyers or Palestine supporters tells us that the cause of Palestine is just and a proper pursuit.

This is the theme of a short speech at the AlQuds Day rally in Toronto. The speech is broad-based and seeks to create greater meaning and a common, inclusive identity for all assembled to protest apartheid Israel's illegal and deadly actions.

A heart-warming example of friendship and solidarity was shared by a supporter in BC. Unist'ot'en Village in the province's interior is in a standoff with police in a struggle to assert sovereignty from an gas pipeline crossing the traditional lands of the Wet'suwet'en people. Gifted Zatoun is used as food and also to make a healing salve from cottonwood tree buds (Turtle Island's recipe for the Balm of Gilead).